Comfort
by iAir Nomad
Summary: Takes place in the episode "The Avatar State", when Aang and Katara are on Master Pakku's boat in the beginning of the episode. Cute and cuddly. Oneshot. R&R!


**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or Kataang. **

**ATLA+Kataang © Bryke =] **

**Got this idea after watching the episode "The Avatar State" when Aang and Katara are on the boat in the beginning, talking about Aang's dream. =] Thought this would be cute.**

Aang was distressed. He had been having many nightmares recently, but this was probably the worst out of all of them. He was watching himself in the Avatar State, but each time, his Avatar State self was determined to kill his real form in every way possible, and each time he was hit, he felt as though he were falling, landing somewhere completely different and being hit again, over and over.

Finally, he opened his eyes and jolted upwards, gasping for oxygen of which he was seemingly lacking in his dream. He panted heavily, trying to calm his nerves. He was alive, he was still breathing.

Perhaps some fresh air from above deck would be good.

The young boy silently jumped out of his hammock and made his way to the ladder, climbing up. He was halfway up when he heard Katara murmur his name, a tone of worry in her voice. He felt her watching him as he climbed, but he didn't care if she decided to follow or not.

Aang stood there with his hands clasped together on the rail of the boat, looking up at the shining stars, the waves softly passing by and the gentle midnight breeze kissing his face. The sky was a beautiful, soft and dark blue, with no cloud in sight. This scenery gave Aang some reassurance that everything was going to be okay. He felt even more reassured when he felt Katara's presence as she neared toward him. So, she decided to join after all.

"Aang? Are you alright?"

Aang half-smiled and shrugged. "I couldn't go to sleep without waking up after a nightmare." He replied simply, as if it were no big deal.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked gently, taking a few steps forward, towards him, as if ready to comfort him any moment now.

"Nah. Just a nightmare." He said. Katara nodded. But somehow, he felt like he needed to get this out. He needed someone to talk about it to. He immediately regretted brushing it off, so he made up for his mistake by speaking: 

"I was in the Avatar State. But I was outside of my body, watching myself. It was scary," he lowered his head and closed his eyes, imagining it again. "_I_ was scary." He concluded.

At that moment, he felt the girl's hand touch his shoulder with a sympathetic expression.

"I've… been having quite a bit of nightmares lately. But… I'm not sure why."

"I've noticed. You have been twisting and turning in your sleep the past couple of nights, but this seemed to be the worst so far, huh?" She replied in a hushed tone, as not to awaken the others.

"What do you think it means, if anything?" 

"I don't know, Aang." She replied apologetically.

There was a pause, and Aang's lips parted again. "Katara?"

"Hmm?"

Aang reached over and took her hand in his, squeezing it. "Thanks." He said with a small smile.

Katara's eyes softened even more. "C'mon. You need a hug. Maybe it'll make you feel better."

And so they did. It was a somewhat slow but gentle process. As if in slow motion, Aang turned his entire body to face her and brought his hands up to the lower part of her back while she wrapped her arms around his neck and they embraced, Aang burying his face into her chocolate-brown hair that hung down on the side in her usual braid. She smelled sweet. Aang felt his feeling's for her grow dramatically, and vice-versa.

Aang and Katara stayed in that position for the longest time, only moving in the slightest to rest their heads on the other's shoulder. Aang almost felt himself drifting off to sleep, until he heard her whisper softly into his ear:

"Let's sleep, now, Aang."

When the two friends had returned back to their hammocks below deck, Katara seemed to be in a rush to get back to sleep. This made Aang, for a moment, feel bad for taking up a bit of her time when she clearly needed her sleep. He watched her get under the covers for a moment, before hesitantly climbing back into his own hammock. From a small distance, cool and soft fingers brushed against his face and he turned to see that Katara was facing him in her hammock, smiling in her pillows. "Don't worry, Aang. I'm right here." She looked as though she had trouble reaching him, and Aang turned over to her and brought out his hand as they intertwined and stayed like that.

"Goodnight, Aang."

"Goodnight, Katara." 

And when Aang fell asleep, he only dreamed lovely dreams of Katara.


End file.
